“Skyscanner will complement our positioning at a global scale, and we will leverage our experience, technology and booking capabilities to help Skyscanner.”

Ctrip expects to complete the takeover by the end of the year.

It adds to a string of acquisitions by Chinese companies in search of UK technology, brands and access to foreign markets.

Framestore – the Oscar-winning UK visual effects company behind Gravity and the Harry Potter films – was sold to China’s Cultural Investment Holdings earlier this month in a deal valuing the group at £150 million.

It also recently emerged that China’s second-largest property developer Evergrande Group is in talks to buy British housebuilder Cala, while several Chinese investors are reportedly among consortiums vying to buy a majority stake in National Grid’s gas distribution network.